De Lima lawyers file complaint vs. judge for delayed inhibition in drug case

The lawyers of former Senator Leila de Lima on Tuesday filed an administrative complaint against a Muntinlupa judge before the Judicial Integrity Board.

The complaint was lodged against Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256 Judge Romeo Buenaventura belatedly inhibiting himself from the remaining drug case of De Lima, according to former dean Tony La Viña, legal counsel of the complainants.

“We are here for [the] administrative complaint against Judge Buenaventura by the lawyers of Senator Leila de Lima,” La Viña said in an ambush interview.

According to Cristina Yambot, another legal counsel, the complainants believe that the delayed inhibition is “tainted.”

“At dahil dito ay nagkaroon ng sense of impropriety. ‘Yung mga proseso ay nakitaan ng hindi patas. Kumbaga hindi naging patas dahil po belated lang na tuklasan at hindi dinisclose na si Judge Buenaventura po pala ay related po sa isang abugado sa isang co-accused ni former Senator Leila de Lima sa isang kaso,” Yambot said.

(There was a sense of impropriety because of this. The process was no longer fair. It was no longer fair because it was discovered late and Judge Buenaventura did not disclose that he was related to the lawyer of a co-accused in another case of former Senator Leila de Lima.)

Buenaventura inhibited from the case in June after reports came out that the judge is the brother of Emmanuel Buenaventura, who worked as a lawyer for former congressman Reynaldo Umali.

Umali was previously the chairman of the House justice committee, which held an inquiry in 2016 into De Lima's alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison in exchange for election campaign funds.

In his defense, Buenaventura said that having a brother who worked for the congressman was not sufficient to prove that he acted with malice, bad faith, or partiality.

He also said he had no personal knowledge that his brother was a former counsel to the lawmaker.

According to Yambot, though they have a prayer in their complaint, they are leaving the appropriate action to the Supreme Court.

De Lima has been detained in Camp Crame since February 2017 over drug allegations. She has repeatedly denied the charges.

Her remaining drug case was re-raffled to the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 206. Two of the drug cases against her have been dismissed.—LDF, GMA Integrated News